


She Is the Batman

by AKnightOfAGoodKing



Series: And if you were never friends, that the world is wrong. [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Friendship/Love, Genderbending, Mutual Pining, Revelations, Secrets, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-10-16
Packaged: 2019-01-17 04:51:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12357858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKnightOfAGoodKing/pseuds/AKnightOfAGoodKing
Summary: For the longest time, people believed Batman to be what she wanted them to believe, a man in a bat costume.It was only years later that she revealed she was more than that.Excerpt:["Pragma," she said, "the most profound of loves because it means that not only have you fallen in love but that you are also now standing in it. And it gives you nutrition and breaks your thirst. It means that you want what you and Batman have to be past the physical. You want it to mean something more, something that transcends universes and lives. You hope that in another world, if you and Batman were never lovers, you'd still be the closest of friends. And if you were never friends, that the world is wrong."]





	She Is the Batman

**Author's Note:**

> **[DO NOT REPOST/REUSE MY WORK(S) WITHOUT MY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND PERMISSION.]**

Bruce Penny Wayne.

Yes, it was a masculine name, but it was the name her mother and father gave her, finding no discomfort in naming their own child in such a way. They liked how strong it resounded when they said it, balanced out by the softness of the 'b' and the whisper of the 's'. Martha and Thomas Wayne loved their baby Bruce.

(Penny was in honor of Alfred, of course, because that man was a saint.)

It was the reason why Bruce, when she created Batman, masqueraded as a man for the world to hear about. She toiled hours and hours on creating her suits, something light yet firm, padding her shoulders and chest to give appearance, and thick, tall boots to give her some extra height. All to become _him._

And under the cape, Batman could hide how much smaller her frame really was. It helped to protect her secret identity even more because who could believe extravagant, beautiful and lively Bruce Wayne to be a dark, brooding man?

The answer should have been only Alfred. But for the longest time, there was one other person who knew. Because he cheated. 

"You're a woman," Superman said, eyes wide with shock. He'd only heard about the Dark Knight, but this was the first time he met her. He had wanted to meet Batman for the longest time, one of the only other superheros in the early age. "You're Bruce Wayne."

Bruce hadn't account for the Kryptonian's x-ray vision then, thus her earlier suits lacked lead lining. "Leave Gotham," she said, voice modulated by her cowl. It made her sound gruff without putting in all the effort to remain so. She chose to ignore that the alien had found her secret for now. "This is my city."

"Wait, I have a proposition for you," Superman quickly said. "A partnership."

"I work alone. Get out of my city, or else I'll make you, alien."

Superman held up his hands, looking a little awkward. "Come on, Batman, give this a chance. We can do more good together than apart. Look, I wasn't really expecting  _you_ , but it doesn't matter what you are and what I am. I only want to help others, and I really think that if we work together, it'd be easier for the both of us. For everybody."

And for some reason, Bruce believed that.

She worked alone. She had the support of GCPD, but she did the investigations, the interrogating and the sleuthing on her own. She didn't need help, but to let this alien move around the planet without having his every move watched unsettled her. This was the world's strongest man, and if he wanted to, he could throw Earth into the sun. It was a better decision to agree on that proposal because it'd give her the opportunity to monitor him closely without suspicion.

"How can I trust you?" she asked, thinking over this twice. "You can bend metal with your bare hands and upheave entire cities. How can I trust that you won't turn on me? That you won't turn on the rest of the world?" 

Superman opened his mouth, not expecting this either. "I swear on it," he told her, no hesitation on his handsome face. 

She huffed, not impressed. "It's not good enough. Anyone can lie, even aliens. I can't trust you if I don't know how to stop you."

Superman sighed, and he nodded. "I'll be right back," he said, and in a blur, he disappeared from the rooftop of Gotham, leaving Bruce on her own. 

She didn't know what he was doing, but she waited. 

It was only a few moments later that Superman returned, holding a small metal box in his hand. He hesitated but relented. "This holds the one known thing that can stop me," he confessed, foolishly placing all bets on her in her opinion. "It's Kryptonite. If I'm exposed to it, I weaken significantly. I can even die. So I'm giving it to you because though I wish you didn't think of me like that, you're not wrong to be concerned. By giving you this, I'm placing my life in your hands. You can trust  _me_ because I trust  _you._ "

Superman held the box out to her, and Bruce looked hard at him, slowly taking the peace offering. Letting her curiousity take over her, she opened the box just a crack, and near blinding green light seeped out. Superman took a step back, his face in a grimace as he held an arm to block its ray with little success. He would've nearly fallen onto his knee had Batman opened it a bit more. 

He had placed his life in her hands. 

"Don't come to Gotham without permission," Bruce said, closing the box and putting it in the most secure pocket of her belt. She took out a small communicator shaped like a tiny bat, throwing it at the Man of Steel. "Keep this on you, and you may contact me from time to time."

Superman lit up, happy that his proposition was taken on. "I will," he promised, holding the tiny bat in his fist. Batman could see that he was holding it gently, careful not to crush it with his super strength. "Thank you."

Bruce paused for a moment. She gave him a wordless nod before she jumped off that rooftop, leaving Superman in the night. 

And as time will come to show, this conversation was the most important and most successful Bruce had ever had, exchanging trust with this stranger who would come to be her greatest friend. They didn't start working together quickly but almost eight months later when Toymaster and Riddler collaborated to wreck downtown Gotham. They were going to do uptown Metropolis afterwards if Batman and Superman hadn't stop them before more severe damage could occur. 

After that, they started actually  _talking,_ through Batman's communicator, seeing that they worked very well together despite first impressions. It seemed that Superman didn't need it to hear her all the way from Metropolis, but he listened to her through the device anyway. It started with small things, like giving each other updates of a case here or there. 

Soon, Superman started coming on patrol with Batman once a week. Neither of them paid attention to when that started, but it soon become common knowledge that the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel were friendly with each other. The media ran this as much as possible, expecting to attract bees to orchids. Alfred, of course, smiled softly upon hearing the news, asking, "When shall we have Mister Superman over for dinner?" 

But the limelight attention died down eventually, reminding everyone that it was quiet even in Gotham at night. Sometimes, the two of them talked a little as Bruce crouched on the edge of a roof and Superman floating a few feet away. During one of those late night patrols, Batman learned that Superman was an orphan too, adopted by two wonderful people. Bruce learned his name was Clark Kent, former farmer boy and current Daily Planet journalist. Later, she started calling him Kal. 

Clark started calling her B. 

 

 

 

 

Several years in, though, there was a pause in their usual routine. _"Kal,"_ Bruce said through her side, no prompt or warning, just a simple message.  _"Don't come to Gotham until I say so. Don't listen for me. Don't look for me. Don't come for me. I'm not in danger."_

All of that was said just for Clark because she knew Clark worried too much, even though he knew what his friend was capable of. "Okay," he simply replied. He had a dozen other things to say, but he didn't.

 

 

 

 

 

 

_"Kal."_

 

 

For the first time in months, Superman heard her heartbeat again, and it was beating calmly. There was no sound more relieving than that, and he was already halfway towards Gotham, seeking Batman out by her rythme. He found her on the Wayne Enterprise skyscraper, her cape hiding her body. He was so happy to see her.

"B," he greeted with a smile, landing on his feet to walk towards her. 

Batman held out a hand, pausing him. Superman stopped, and then he saw a slight movement from her cape. He blinked when he saw a head pop out, a little boy wearing a black domino mask. His colorful costume contrasted Batman's almost all black attire. His expression revealed awe and joy, gasping as he saw Superman for the first time. 

"You're Superman," the boy said, smiling widely. He got more excited, jumping out of Batman's cape and bouncing towards the Man of Steel. "Wow! I'm the luckiest kid in the world right now!" 

"Robin," Batman chided, putting a finger to her lips. 

"Oops," the boy - Robin, Superman figured - voiced out, lower now. He turned back to Superman, still smiling. "Hi, I'm Robin. I'm Batman's sidekick."

And Superman already adored him, smiling back. "Hi, Robin," he replied. "I'm happy to meet you."

Robin squealed in delight, rushing back to Batman. "Batman, Batman, Superman is happy to meet  _me_ ," he gushed, tugging at Batman's cape. 

"Mhmm," Batman hummed out, being very patient. Superman knew she liked kids, but he'd never thought she'd let one be her sidekick. It was dangerous and irresponsible. It wasn't right. "You can go two blocks. No further. I'll meet up with you in ten minutes."

"Okay," Robin said, bouncing his way towards the edge of the roof, and he jumped off, using wire to swing from here to there. 

It was silent for a minute before Superman whispered harshly, " _What were you thinking?_ He's only a kid, B. You can't let him be your  _sidekick._ It's too dangerous!" 

Batman didn't seemed fazed, as if he expected this kind of reaction. "His parents were murdered," she told him outright, "and I took him in as my ward. This was his decision, Kal. Even I didn't want him to do this, but I couldn't say no because if I had a chance then, I would do the exact same thing. Think whatever you want about me, but I _will_ protect him. He won't end up like me."

And Superman was left speechless. He understood why Batman did this now, but still, he didn't like the idea of a child running around beating criminals and fighting crime. What if Robin got hurt? Or kidnapped? Killed? He should be taking Robin away from Batman right now. 

"What's his name?" the Man of Steel asked, nodding once in acknowledgement. He didn't like this at all, but he wasn't going to stop Batman, not yet. He was going to hold her to her word. He had to. 

"Richard John Grayson," Batman answered, as if she was christening her ward, "but he prefers Dick. He's a good kid."

Again, Superman nodded, and Batman returned it in lieu of a farewell, swinging off to catch up with Robin. 

Clark stopped coming for patrol after that for a while. He was still trying to wrap his head around his friend's decision. He was not happy about having a kid running around, fighting crime, but he was sure she was  _happy_ to have Robin with her. It made her less alone, and Clark couldn't be there all the time. He had his own life. 

And he could tell she was happy. Yeah, they'd known each other long enough that Clark Kent, mild reporter of the Daily Planet, knew the tells of the Batman. If he hadn't got used to that idea, his head would have exploded with the idea of how  _awesome_ that was. Even Superman thought Batman was one of the coolest things ever. He just also worried about her too. He always worried about her. 

So he showed up again on a patrol, Batman looking up at him with a neutral mood. Robin wasn't with her tonight past midnight. "Hi, B," Superman said, giving her a smile though a little brittle. "How've you been?"

Batman frowned. "Get past the small talk, Superman," she said, reading his expression too well. "Say what you have to say. I'm busy."

It was hard to be subtle with Batman, Superman thought, sighing. She wouldn't allow it if it wasn't necessary. 

"The thing with Robin," he started, scratching his neck in nervousness, "I don't like it."

Batman was silent, her heartbeat not changing in tempo. 

"But it's doesn't matter. It's your choice, and it's his choice. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. I'm just worried, about the both of you, but I know he makes you happy. So just promise that if you need help, with patrol or just Robin, you'd ask me?" 

She was silent, which made Superman feel awkward. Was he crossing a line here? They may be close friends, but they didn't owe each other anything in their personal lives.

Then he saw it, the tiny curl of her lips, which disappeared when in blinked in disbelief. "You're such a boy scout," Batman teased in her modulated voice. Then she nodded.

"Thank you, Kal," she said with sincerity. "It means a lot to me."

Superman couldn't help but smile. "Want some company tonight?" he asked. 

Batman raised an eyebrow from under her cowl. Instead of answering, she took out her grappling hook and swung away. Superman chuckled, following after her. 

"Come over for dinner tomorrow. Dick likes to talk with you."

 

 

 

 

And the years passed, and they remained close, despite the many pauses that came along, mostly on Bruce's side. One of Clark's big pauses was when Lois finally agreed to go out with him, to which he spent a whole night on their communicator gushing to Bruce. She listened silently. Another was when he found out he had a son and a cousin. He wasn't as alone as he once believed.

But for Bruce, there was so many big pauses. Dick left when he finished high school and became his own hero with his city to protect. She became secluded for a while. Then came Jason, whom Bruce picked up off the streets. He became the new Robin. Then Joker happened, and Jason was gone. Bruce had became somber, less responsive, until Tim came and proclaimed himself Robin because Batman always needed a Robin. She smiled more after that. Good news, bad news Jason was back, though as a revived mercenary, but Bruce was glad nonetheless. And when Cassandra came along, Bruce even chuckled during patrol, adoring her new daughter. And there was Damian too, and boy was he a big surprise. 

 _"I have a son,"_ Bruce told him.

"Huh?" Clark responded, trying to remember when she told him she was pregnant. She didn't. 

 _"I didn't deliver him,"_ she answered, filling in the blanks. _"Talia took my DNA and used it to make a child without my consent. He's ten now. His name is Damian."_

That made Clark perk up, because that meant that the boy looked like Bruce. Probably a pretty kid with her eyes and nose. That made him blush for some reason. "Oh," he said instead. "Like Conner."

In between everything from their personal sides, there was the League and all associates because the world started to end a lot. Destruction of planet Earth became a common thing, for dramatic flair more often than not. Destruction of the galaxy was a little more concerning, but it was usually because someone had a big ego. Destruction of the  _universe,_ though, was a coin flip, thrown in the air when the time came, but the coin had a hundred sides. Everyone did more than their best to make sure the coin landed on the right side, and it all depended on the one who everyone wanted to flip. 

And then she died.

The world was very quiet without her heartbeat, and to Clark, it was astounding _._

 

 

 

 

"Bruce, are you there? I miss you."

 

 

 

 

When she came back, Tim was Red Robin and Damian was the newest Robin. Dick gave her back the mantle of the Batman with much enthusiasm, though he looked hesitant to leave Damian. Bruce was tempted to ask her oldest son to take care of him a little longer, but her youngest was vocal about staying close. 

"You enjoyed being Dick's sidekick," she noted out loud on the ride home one night. Maybe it would be better for Damian to be with Dick. She had too many mistakes to prove she wasn't the best choice anyway. 

"I've come to learn that Grayson is competent," Damian replied. "He is skillful in both discretion and leadership. I admit I can learn much from him."

"Then you should go to Blüdhaven."

Damian frowned. "Are you unsatisfied with me, Mother?"

"That's not what I mean, Damian, and you know that. No, I just thought you might want to spend time with Dick once in a while."

Damian crossed his arms. "I know what you're doing. Grayson mentioned a few times during out partnership, when I asked about you. No, Mother, I'm not going to Blüdhaven. I would like to stay with you."

Bruce didn't respond. She didn't have anything to say about that. He wanted to stay with her, and it was his choice. 

It was her choice to respect that. 

 

 

 

 

"Clark."

Said journalist looked over his shoulder, his hands automatically washing the dishes. His girlfriend and colleague had a serious expression on her face. 

Clark immediately turned his entire body around, knowing she wanted to talk. "Yes, Lois?" he asked, almost afraid. 

Her face softened, as if she just noticed the face she had put on. Lois took him by the hands, her purple eyes locked onto his blue ones. "Clark, I think I want this to stop," she said, her voice gentle and assuring "I think you're in love with someone else."

Clark blinked, feeling as if she was holding him by the heart, and her words were squeezing it little by little. "What?" he let out, confused and quiet. "Did I do something wrong?"

Lois shook her head, her brown locks swaying with her movement. "No, not on purpose. It's just that it always felt like when you look at me, you see someone else. I can see that you love me, Clark, but sometimes, you look higher or alongside the wall. I didn't know why, but ever since Batman came back from the dead, I figured it out."

"Figure what out."

"That you're in love with him."

Clark's eyes widen, not understanding where Lois was coming from. "I'm not in love with Batman," he countered. "He's my best friend and I do love him, but I'm in love with  _you. H_ e has nothing to do with this."

"And I won't deny that, Clark, because I'm in love with you too, but am I wrong to say he's the love of your life? You're best friends. You've known each other just as long as you've known me. He  _trusts_ you. Even Diana confessed that she never got as close because you two have so much history, so much time together. What's stopping you from being in love with Batman? Because he's a man and you're a man too?"

"Gender has nothing to do with this! It's never been an issue between us. She and I are  _friends._ I'm not in love with her. I can't be."

Lois stopped, her eyes searching Clark's face. She heard that. She understood. "Batman is a woman?" she asked. 

Clark panicked. "What? No, Batman's a man. I slipped up. Don't switch topics like that."

"You slipped up, Clark," Lois said, "because even liars make mistakes. You _are_ in love with Batman. Why else would you keep this a secret for a decade? You didn't even tell  _me._ You've been in denial because you think that if you're in love with her it's only because she's a woman and you're a man. Clark, this isn't a romance movie. This is real. You love Batman, don't you?"

"I don't know."

Clark surprised himself by saying that. He couldn't say no, but he didn't want to say yes. How do you say yes  to that to the one you love? How you do you tell this beautiful, wonderful, amazing woman that you're in love with another? How do you choose? How do you know you made the right choice? How you do know that you don't just love her because that was how men and women were supposed to interact? How do you admit that you'd been in love with your best friend ever since night one? How do something like  _that?_

"But that doesn't change the fact that I love you," Clark said, voice choking up unexpectedly. "I love you, Lois. Please don't do this."

The white of her eyes grew red, her purple of her iris burning strong. "I'm sorry, Clark," she said, squeezing his hand, squeezing his heart. "I have to. I don't think I love you like you love me. Maybe not in this life. Maybe in another life, we would've gotten married and have a kid, but this isn't it. Because I know for certain that _this_ is the life where you fell in love with your best friend. It has nothing to do with the fact that you're a man and she's actually a woman. It has everything to do with the fact that she's your best friend, and she'll always be your best friend. She'll always be the one whose absence will keep you up at night, staring at the ceiling like it has all the answers. Because I've seen you do that, Clark. She, he, _Batman_ , will always have a place in your heart, your other half in one way or another. She's your B, isn't she?"

And Clark was crying, quietly begging her not to go. 

 

 

 

 

_"Clark, is something the matter?"_

"No, not at all. Why do you ask?" 

_"It's . . . it's a feeling. I thought you weren't okay."_

"I'm fine, Bruce. Thanks."

_". . . You're lying to me, aren't you?"_

"How do you know that?"

_"I can tell, Kal."_

"Lois left me. She thinks I'm in love with someone else."

_"Are you?"_

"I, I don't know, B."

_". . . Would you like some company?"_

"That's not like you to be this nice. Did an alien take your place?"

_"Ha. No, I'm worried about you. And I know what it's like to be heartbroken, Kal. I don't ask for comfort, but I would never deny anyone if they need it."_

"I know. Thank you, Bruce, but I think I need some time alone."

_". . . Okay, Kal."_

 

 

 

 

After getting back from patrol, Bruce found a folder she'd never made,  **MESSAGES TO B**. It was tuck in the smallest nook of the miscellaneous section, where files older than five years were categorized and kept for future references. Keywords and things of import were already highlighted and programed to ping when searched up. She had come across that folder when looking up missing cases from seven years ago.

"What's this?" she asked, opening the folder up. There were nearly four dozen audio files. They were short, almost brief, neatly filed by date. 

"Grayson made that," Damian said, taking off his boots. "He said they were all from the alien. He apprently kept talking into the communicator when you were gone. I don't know what they say. Grayson said it was private, only for you and the alien to hear. Since we didn't think you'd return, save for Drake, they were never opened until now. I didn't think they were important."

Bruce wordlessly sat down, looking at the dates of the audio files. "You should sleep now," she said. 

"Good night, Mother," her youngest said, trying to hide a yawn. 

She clicked on the oldest date, a few weeks after she disappeared to time.

 

 

 

 

_You're dead. Why?_

_It's been very quiet since you've been gone. I can't hear you._

_I saw Tim yesterday. He's doing well. He's eating a little more._

_I heard Cassandra move for the first time. I think she misses you too._

_Lois made me coffee, two creams, two sugars. Just the way I like them._

_Kon went to the fair back home. He got Ma and Pa to ride the rides with him. It was only a miracle they didn't get sick._

_The weather's nice here. How's Gotham?_

_Can you hear me?_

_Dick hurt his wrist during a League mission. He laughed the entire time, and I felt proud._

_I was on patrol last night. I talked with Alfred, and he felt very ancient. I think it's because he outlived you._

_Bruce._

_Bruce?_

_Bruce, are you there? I miss you._

_I wish you were here._

 

 

 

 

Bruce listened to files many time, taking notes of every word said. She listened to the way he spoke. She listened. 

And she thought, because she heard something unspoken in his words. It was not with her ears, but her soul. Or whatever was the scientific equivalent because the world wasn't sentimental enough for that. 

Or at least, that was what she always told herself since she was eight. 

Something itched at her, and she turned on the commutator. Their private line. 

"Clark, is something the matter?" she spoke, not even knowing if he was busy. She just had to ask. 

 _"No, not at all,"_  Clark replied soon after. He sounded tired, exhausted. " _Why do you ask?"_

"It's . . . it's a feeling. I thought you weren't okay."

_"I'm fine, Bruce. Thanks."_

That was weak. He was hiding something. He did that when he didn't want to burden others. He could take on the whole world if he had to, but he didn't want anyone else to bear that load, not when it was his own. Clark had always a selfless man.  _Very dear to me._

". . . You're lying to me, aren't you?" she tried. 

He forced out a laugh. _"How do you know that?"_

"I can tell, Kal." 

_"Lois left me. She thinks I'm in love with someone else."_

Bruce did not expect that. She thought they were going to be forever. Whenever Clark talked about her, he always had this vibrance in his voice, something like the sun, and she would come to realize several conversations in that she was envious of Lois. And that wasn't fair. Lois was a good person, a good journalist, a good friend. A good match for Clark.

"Are you?" she asked instead of addressing her thoughts. 

 _"I,"_ he hesitated, _"I don't know, B."_

Bruce paused. "Would you like some company?" she said for some reason. She didn't want him to be alone, she guessed. 

Clark let out another laugh, this time somewhat amused.  _"It's not like_ _you to be this nice. Did an alien take your place?"_

She let out a sarcastic laugh. "No, I'm worried about you. And I know what it's like to be heartbroken, Kal. I don't ask for comfort, but I would never deny anyone if they need it."

_"I know. Thank you, Bruce, but I think I want to be alone."_

_But I don't want you to be._ "Okay, Kal."

 

 

 

 

And she supposed things went back to normal. But then again, she wasn't sure what that was.  _Normal._

What was normal about a woman masqueraded as a man? About being best friend with an alien? About being in love with said man? About not knowing what to do? So she did what she always did. She ignored it. 

Superman came around again, not as much as before. But what was before? When the world was smaller than anyone ever witnessed? When it was just Batman and Superman? And they talked like before. Small things, big things, fun things and reports. Things happened, friends, family, disasters, threats, sacrifices, but the world seemed slowed down, like it was waiting for something else to happen. 

Bruce thought she might know what it was, but she wasn't sure it was right. She didn't think she belonged with a man whose very being was filled with sunlight.

"Bruce, have you ever thought about being happy? Just for yourself?"

"Why do you ask that?" she replied, uploading the upgrades for her second son when he came by the Cave. 

Jason shrugged, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed. Inwardly, Bruce wanted to reach out for him and tussle his hair, a white streak running down on it now, but she didn't think he'd appreciate that. Though they have reconciled, they were still too layered with trauma to be as close as they were before that trip to Ethiopia. 

"Because you need to let things go," he reasoned casually. 

"Wise words?" she asked. 

"Wise words from a dead man walking. You should know."

"I know a lot of things, but I can't claim to know everything."

"So you're Aristotle."

"Why are you asking this?"

Again, Jason shrugged. "It's a feeling I have," he said, patting at his stomach. "In my gut. It's something I have to tell you."

"Is that it?" 

"Yeah. Hopefully, it helps you do what you need to do. Not that I care."

 

 

 

 

"Have you been well, Kal?" she asked, a look of concern on her beautiful face. "You worry me and the rest of the League. You look tired."

Superman sighed, his feet seemingly dragging along the air. "I'm fine, Diana," he replied. "I've just been doing a lot of thinking."

"About Batman?" Wonder Woman asked. She nodded when she saw her friend look away. "I can tell that he's been thinking a lot too. Let me lend you an ear. Could it be about Lois as well? Your thinking coincides with your break up."

Superman gave her a small smile, endeared by her concern and support. She was quite observable. "Am I in love with Batman?" he blurted out. 

Wonder Woman blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know."

"Why are you having trouble with that?"

"Because I've known him for years, but it's just now that I'm coming to accept that I may love him more than I ever thought."

"Better late than never, Kal."

"But what if I love him because it's biological?"

"I don't understand. What does biology have to do with love?"

"Everything, doesn't it? Love is a mixture of the right chemicals, signalled by stimuli by other complimenting chemicals. What if I love Batman because it's only biological? What if it's just how people wrote stories?"

Oh, she was starting to get this now. 

"Kal, it isn't, not with you," Wonder Woman said with affirmation. "You don't love Batman just because you're a man and a woman. What a mundane notion."

Superman stopped, going back over to what he said just now. He didn't slip up this time. He made sure. 

The Amazonian laughed lightly. "Come now, Kal. I grew up in an entire island full of women and only women. I know what a woman is, even under all that armor. I never revealed it because it was never mine to reveal."

"So you get me, right? I'm not an idiot for overthinking this way?"

" _Pragma,"_ she said, "the most profound of loves because it means that not only have you  _fallen_ in love but that you are also now  _standing_ in it. And it gives you nutrition and breaks your thirst. It means that you want what you and Batman have to be past the physical. You want it to mean something more, something that transcends universes and lives. You hope that in another world, if you and Batman were never lovers, you'd still be the closest of friends. And if you were never friends, that the world is wrong _._ " 

Superman let out a shuttering breath, and he slowly nodded. It was everything he wanted to say but never knew how to say it. "Do you think she feels the same?" he asked, feeling small. 

And Diana, princess of the Amazons, daughter of Hyppolyta, queen of the Amazons, smiled. 

"When the two of you are together, I remember that we are all made out of starstuff."

 

 

 

 

 _"B,"_ she over heard late into the afternoon  _"can I come to Gotham tonight?"_

It had been years since Clark asked for permission. He had long become an exception to that rule. Long before it stopped mattering. 

"Is something the matter?" 

He didn't respond right away, and Bruce could hear him think.  _"I want to check something. I hope that's alright."_

"Okay. I'll see you then, Clark."

He said his closing line, and Bruce was left to wonder until nighttime seeped from over the setting sun. It was midnight when Superman arrived, finding her under the big clock on top of city hall. 

"What do you need to check out, Superman?" she asked, crouched down. 

The Man of Steel was nervous. "B, I love you," he confessed, and it felt anticlimactic, like he messed up the greatest opportunity to be as dramatic as possible.

Instead, Superman came off as awkward, and Kal at his most genuine made her hear skip a beat. She hoped he didn't hear that because she had to make a choice now.

"What if I'm not the one?" she questioned, not entirely dismissing him. Rather, she was neutral, one tip of the scale too little. "What if we weren't meant to be?"

"Then this world would be wrong," he replied, hope coloring the sky in his eyes. "And if it is, we can only trust each other to decide what we get to be. I love you, Bruce. I love you."

And Bruce made a choice. 

 

 

 

 

They kissed, lips barely touching as they exchanged breaths, and they lay in her bed, locked in a chaste embrace, careful not to speak but deliberate just to feel. 

 

 

 

 

When it came to saving the universe, it was all a gamble to Bruce. Carefully details were just a precaution, thus the importance of contingencies because not everything would work out as expected, just like a parasite-type alien had latched onto the strongest man on Earth and drove him to wreak havoc in his path. It didn't help that the alien was of high intelligence, a preemptive attack sent by its creators to create as much damage as possible before coming to Earth themselves. The League found themselves against one of their own. 

A few hours into the chaos, the Atom learned that the only way to stop the parasite was to rip it out of Superman because it was unable to support itself outside its host's system. The parasite was only as strong as its host. The downside was that the parasite first attached itself to its host's spinal cord. There was a risk here. 

"I'll do it," Batman said when Atom announced these facts. "I know how to weaken Superman long enough to pull the parasite out."

"He might die," Flash rebuked. "There's got to be another way."

"The Corps. always has information stored up somewhere," Green Lantern said, agreeing wordlessly. "We can't just let Superman die."

"It's not up for discussion," Batman said, slamming a fist onto the table. "I will not risk the lives of thousands just for one."

"Shut up, Batman!" Green Arrow shouted, angry. How could this bat jerk even suggest something like this? The good of the many didn't out weight the few if not everybody survived. Not in this case. "We'll come up with another plan, damn it."

"If you think it is up for discussion, you're wrong, Arrow. I'm going. I have Kryptonite. The parasite is only as strong as the host's system. By  damaging Superman nearly to the point of death, it would come off significantly easier, and with sunlight, he'd recover from his wounds."

"And what if he doesn't?" Hawkgirl asked. 

Batman stood up, walking out of the emergency  meeting room. "Then you can charge me with murder."

 

 

 

 

The Kryptonite Superman gave her the first time they met, it was the most concentrated of the element Bruce had ever possessed. It was an astronomical 90% pure Kryptonite, the treatment and shaping of it showing purpose. And he gave it to a  _stranger._ All the other Kryptonite she had collected over the year were only 50%, even though a few pounds of it would be enough to have the Kryptonian keel over in pain. 

So with the purest of the pure full exposed, Superman was writhing on the floor, his body twitching in involuntary muscle movements. His face was pale and sweaty, his hands clenching the air. The parasite letting out a high shriek, appendixes dancing up and down the skin of his neck. 

"No," Superman moaned, "no, don't do this. It hurts. Stop."

And Batman wanted to stop. Her shoulder was bleeding, and her cowl was broken, the left side of her face showing off her own set of blue eyes and her long hair. Media liked the traditional display of gender roles, and it helped disguise Batman. 

It was hard to watch the man she loved hurt this way, but she endured, pushing Superman over to flip him on his chest side. With a nth metal scalpel, she started to cut off as much of the parasite as possible. When she reached its core, Batman ripped it out with all her strength, and it died. 

Putting the Kryptonite away, Batman quickly dragged Superman through the warehouse she managed to lure the parasite into. Her hands trembled from the adrenaline, her legs from the exhuastion. She dropped her lover at the first patch of sunlight seeping in, half because he needed to heal and the other because the bleeding wasn't helping. 

"Clark," she spoke out, leaning over him on her hands and knees. 

He wasn't breathing. His heart wasn't beating. He didn't respond. 

"Clark," she tried again, tired but desperate. "Clark, wake up. You need to wake up, please. Can you hear me? Kal?"

Still, he didn't respond. 

Batman was losing against the blood lost, and she fell over Clark's body, breathing heavily for the both of them. But her heart wasn't able to beat for two. 

"Kal, are you there? I miss you."

 

 

 

 

When she woke up, she heard the relaxing rhythm of the monitor. She wasn't in the Cave. She was in the Watchtower, and someone shifted beside her, noticing the opening of her eyes. He was checking over her vitals. 

"Tim," her unmodulated voice croaked, "where is my suit?"

Her third son was in his costume, but she was in nothing but a medical robe.  She was exposed.

"In disposed," he answered, standing beside her. "We came as soon as possible when Wonder Woman called. She said that your suit was going to be damaged. Dick was the first one to show up, and he hadn't let anyone through those doors except for Leslie and Alfred. All medical procedures were conducted by them, so your secret is safe, B. Do you need anything? The rest of us have been taking shifts watching over you. The League isn't happy."

"Where's . . ." she let that sentence go. 

Tim gave her a smile. "He's alright, B," he assured her, grasping her by the hand. His hold was firm, grown. "He started recovering the moment sunlight touched him, and Green Lantern brought him out of the atmosphere for a boost. He's back saving the world again. I'm happy for you, B."

She squeezed her son's hand in hers. She had a smile on, as her eyes closed. "Thank you, Tim. It means a lot to me." 

 

 

 

 

"Due to recent circumstances," Batman said in the meeting room, "I can no longer hide my identity from you, especially since you all have disclosed yours a year ago."

Aquaman huffed. "I suppose almost dying again would change anyone's mind," he commented. 

"And there are the rumors," Flash brought to everyone's attention. He attempted a sheepish smile as everyone turned to him. He shrugged. "Someone said they'd saw you being transported into medical. Said that without your suit, you don't look much like _man_."

And Batman nodded, going to unlatch the cowl. For the first time, the Dark Knight was revealed to be none other than Bruce Wayne, extravagant heiress of Gotham royalty. 

"I ask that you keep this within those in this room," she said, ignoring the surprise of those who knew current events and gossips. "You must understand why I hesitated before. I trust you with this secret now."

"Oh my," Hawkgirl voiced out, not know that there was another sister in the League leadership. "You have played us all. I'm impressed."

"Are you telling me that I'm getting suckered by Bruce Wayne in both my lives?" Arrow asked incredulously. "I don't get paid enough for this."

"You got a lot prettier than a minute ago, Bats," Green Lantern tossed out, laughing. Flash smacked him. 

"That's not nice, Hal," the speedster said. "Batman is still an attractive guy, guy or not. Don't base people on looks."

"I was joking, Barry. Jeez." 

"I believe this calls for celebration," Wonder Woman interrupted. "I suggests a lovely dinner at Wayne Manor. Kal tells me that your butler is a wonderful cook."

Batman looked hesitant to invite this many rowdy people in her already hectic household. 

"We'll also celebrate your union," the princess continued. "I believe it's your first anniversary soon. Right, Kal?" 

Superman blushed at being found out who was his relationship buddy was. "It would be a nice idea," he said, smiling at her and only her. "Have the kids with my parents too."

Batman sighed, nodding her head. She out her cowl back on, not wanting to risk anyone coming in despite how securely locked the sliding doors were. 

"Come over next month, on the fifth, starting at seven pm," Batman said, voice gruff and lower. "A dinner party needs time to plan."

"Here, here," Hawkgirl cheered, the others repeating after her.

 

 

 

 

"Are you there?"

"Yes, right here, with you."

**Author's Note:**

> If you like my work(s), please check out my Twitter and consider supporting me: [@kappachyun](https://twitter.com/kappachyun?s=09).


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